We once again visited with the Grandeur of the Seas.  Our drive to Baltimore on the 25th was long, but uneventful other than a few spots of rain.  The hotel I typically go with was showing as permanently closed, so I booked another hotel in that same area that offered transportation to and from the cruise ship.  The room was not as nice, but it functioned.  Being there I see that the hotel I use to use is now under a different name, but I don't recall seeing the park and cruise deal there.

Our room onboard was an interior (read:  incredibly small with a shower curtain that likes to get up close and personal).  The room was even smaller once we set up Avery's pack and play (provided by the line), but since we had to get a 3-4 person room we were able to drop one of the bunks down to use for storage (and bonking my head).  The staff onboard is still great, the food is still quite good.  Grandeur herself is showing lots of signs of disrepair on the outside (lots of rust that I'm surprised they're not more active tending to).  Rumors swirl that she may be leaving the fleet and being replaced in Baltimore by her sister, Enchantment.

After one full day at sea we stopped in Charleston, where we walked in the main area near the pier.  We wandered and found a good cup of coffee and then a bar for a couple of beers.  We walked through the market area and then down to Rainbow Row and over by the water to the ferry pier where we took Avery to sit on the swings we were on a few years ago right before we started dating.

The next two days were Port Canaveral and Miami, as I mentioned, we stayed onboard.  Next stop was to be Cococay, but that was scratched due to rough conditions that prevented safe tendering.  Instead we pressed on to Nassau, where we got a day and a half instead of the one day.

Our first day in Nassau we walked to Senor Frog's for a few drinks and then into a few shops before returning to the ship.  On day two, since we missed Cococay we booked an excursion by ferry to Blue Lagoon.  That morning was cool and rainy, and we almost cancelled - but we had come too far to not get to put Avery's toes into the sand and water.  Blue Lagoon was not overly impressive to me - I wouldn't recommend it.  As to the water and sand:  Avery cried.  I'm hoping she'll do better if we ca put those toes into WARM water.

Then we had two days at sea as we returned to Baltimore and then the looong drive home.  It feels so much further to Baltimore now that I've moved - it is an extra hour away, but it feels like even more.

I'm glad to be home, but tired, and not eager to get back to the grind.  In the mean time, the rest of my weekend was trying to get some basics (laundry) done.